Wandering The Stars
by Raiden-sama
Summary: Crossover with Star Trek. An anomaly in the fabric of time brings Kenshin Himura forward, to the year 2378. Can his descendent, Yusuke Himura, help him adjust to the 24th century?
1. Ancestry

Chapter One: Ancestry

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Stardate 54782.4

Somewhere near the Neutral Zone…

"Yusuke!"

"Huh?"

"Are you listening to me or not?!"

"Oh…sorry."

Lieutenant Commander Yusuke Himura, chief of security for the U.S.S. _Thunderchild_, turned his attention back to his best friend, an Andorian by the name of M'aran.

"Anyway, I've got a date for tonight, what about you?"

Yusuke sweatdropped. "Eh…no."

M'aran chuckled. "Too bad. I think she's going to be the one."

"Well, I wish you luck, my friend."

"Heh, thanks. Oh, hey, that's not all I wanted to talk to you about."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What else is on your mind?"

M'aran slowly stood up. "Yusuke, how long have we been friends?"

"Three years, give or take a month. Where are you going with this?"

"I've heard from a lot of people that your family used to be famous. You've never said anything to that effect. I'm dying to know, Yusuke-is it true?"

Yusuke gave him a weird look, then sighed. "Famous. 'Infamous' would be a better word, to be honest. You really want to know the story?"

"I'm an Andorian; we see things through to the end."

Yusuke sighed again. "Very well. How familiar are you with old Earth history?"

"Eh, so-so."

"Do you know what was going on in the Japan region during the late 1860's?"

M'aran thought for a few seconds before answering. "That's when the Tokugawa dynasty fell and the Meiji government took over, right?"

"Correct. Well, one of my relatives was part of that revolution. His name was Kenshin Himura. He was an incredible swordsman; in fact, he was so good that he got the nickname _Hitokiri Battousai_. It means 'Battousai the Man-Slayer.'"

M'aran's eyes widened. "Damn…"

Yusuke chuckled. "Yeah. It's said that he disappeared shortly after the revolution, and then resurfaced. There's not much information on him during that time, even in my family's archives…except, of course, that the family line was continued."

"Hmm…don't take this the wrong way, but I can't tell if you're speaking of him as an honored ancestor or a black sheep."

Yusuke sighed. "In a way, he was both. But…the past is the past. I hope I answered your questions satisfactorily."

M'aran smiled. "It was close enough." He opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted by the ship's intercom.

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"Commander Himura, please report to the bridge."

M'aran sighed. "Well, looks like you're up."

"Guess so," replied Yusuke with a small chuckle. "I'll see you later."

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On the bridge, things were more hectic than usual. Crewmembers were rushing to and fro, giving reports and operating consoles. Yusuke quickly took his station at Tactical.

"Reporting as ordered, Captain Jackson. What's happened?"

The captain turned. "Your classic temporal anomaly, mister."

"Captain, the chronometric flux from the anomaly is at more than 1.75%," said the operations officer.

The first officer raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, a crowd-pleaser."

Yusuke noticed something unusual on his screen. "Captain, there's some fairly heavy particle emissions coming from that thing. I recommend going to yellow alert."

The captain took only a few seconds to respond. "Agreed. Yellow alert, shields up."

"Aye, aye." Yusuke triggered the yellow alert alarm, automatically bringing the shields to full power at the same time.

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Kamiya Dojo, A.D. 1870's

"It looks like a storm's coming in, that it does," said Kenshin as he stared up at the ominously black sky.

Kaoru gulped. "And a nasty one at that. Everybody, get inside, quick!" She literally dragged Kenshin into the dojo, while Sanosuke simply swaggered in.

"It's just a little squall. Nothing to be so worried about," said the ex-fighter-for-hire coolly. "You aren't…scared, are you?"

Kaoru glared daggers at him. "Of course not! The very idea that I would be afraid of a little thunder and-YIKES!!!!!!" A gigantic thunderclap sounded outside, causing Kaoru to clasp her arms around an unprepared Kenshin.

"Oro…?"

"Okay…maybe I am a little afraid-AAH!" Another thunderclap sounded, almost as loud as before. Kaoru squeezed Kenshin even tighter. After a second, Kenshin recomposed himself.

"Miss Kaoru, you need not be frightened of the thunder, that you do not," he said softly.

Kaoru looked up at him. "You…mean it?"

Kenshin smiled. "Of course. For the dangerous aspect of storms is not the thunder, but the lightning! OW!" That was from Kaoru bopping him on the head. "Oro…"

"Oh, thanks a lot! That really makes me feel better!" grumbled Kaoru.

"Hey, I hate to break up this tender moment, but has anybody seen Yahiko?" said Sanosuke.

"Oh, I sent him out to buy a few things and…oh, HELL!" Kaoru gasped. "That was an hour ago!"

"This isn't good. He could be having problems, that he could," said Kenshin. He was about to say something else, but the sudden sound of wind accelerating assaulted all three pairs of ears in the room.

"Damn…it's starting to sound like a typhoon out there," said Sanosuke.

Kaoru bit her lip. "Yahiko…you'd better show up soon…!"

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Aboard U.S.S. Thunderchild…

"Helm, keep us at a fair distance," said the captain. "I don't want us to get pulled into that thing."

"Aye, sir."

Suddenly, a small beeping sound came from Yusuke's console. "Captain, something's happening. The shields are starting to fluctuate."

The captain whipped around. "What?!"

"Confirmed, sir," said the operations officer. "The anomaly is starting to send out chronometric pulses at our ship."

The captain turned back to the front. "On screen…"

The viewscreen switched to a view of a bright blue nebula-like object. Every couple of seconds, a whitish pulse would flare out from it and appear to impact the viewscreen.

"Himura, can you rotate the shield harmonics to compensate?"

Yusuke shook his head. "I'm trying, but it's not having any effect. Shields are down to 80 percent, sir."

The captain sighed. "All right, let's get clear. Helmsman?"

"On it, sir." The helmsman plied his console, but nothing happened.

"Ensign…what is going on?" said the first officer.

"I can't get the warp engines to engage, sir. It makes no sense…!"

Suddenly, the anomaly began to grow intensely brighter, almost to the point of blinding the bridge crew.

"Captain, the emissions from the anomaly have jumped by 300 percent!!" cried the operations officer.

The captain scowled. "What the hell is going on?!"

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Kamiya Dojo

"Hey!"

Everybody turned towards the door of the dojo upon hearing the voice.

"Guys, it's me! I just barely made it!!" It was Yahiko. Everybody quickly rushed out to the door.

"Yahiko, hurry! You have to get inside, that you do!" shouted Kenshin over the din of the wind.

"I'm trying!" Yahiko was advancing very slowly. The wind was blowing against him, severely hampering his progress. All of a sudden, the wind kicked up its speed a notch. "Ah…I can't move! Help me!"

Kaoru gasped, then scowled. "Well!? Get out there and help him!!"

Kenshin sweatdropped for a second, then turned serious. "Hai. Sessha will help you, Yahiko!" He ran out the door…only to be nearly swept off his feet by the intense wind himself. "Whoa…!"

Meanwhile, Kaoru turned her angry gaze on Sano. "Aren't you going to help out?!"

Sanosuke shrugged. "Eh, Kenshin should be able to deal. I'll go if he can't do it alone." Kaoru only sweatdropped in response.

Kenshin, having managed to regain his footing, made his way over to Yahiko. "You will have to take my hand, that you will!" He extended his hand to Yahiko, who quickly grabbed it. "All right, here goes!" Slowly, the two began to move against the fierce wind.

"Kenshin…" said Kaoru softly. "Come on…!"

The rurouni and the boy managed to make it to within a few feet of the dojo entrance.

"Kenshin, here!" Much to Kaoru's surprise, Sano extended his hand out for Kenshin to grab. "I'll pull both of you inside!"

"Arigato!" Kenshin reached out to grab Sanosuke's hand. As he did, something strange happened. A bright blue glow suddenly filled the dojo grounds. Kenshin and Yahiko managed somehow to look up…and saw it. A gigantic blue orb was hovering in the sky above them. The wind also accelerated again, but…it was now pulling Kenshin and Yahiko slowly upward!

"Oh, no!" cried Yahiko. "What do we do, Kenshin?"

Kenshin sighed, and then turned his head towards Yahiko. "I am sorry, Yahiko. I will not make it, that I won't. But…you shall!" With a great effort, he managed to bring Yahiko forward. Before the boy could protest, he was quickly seized by Sano and pulled into the dojo. Just afterwards, Kenshin began rising at an incredible rate towards the orb.

"Kenshin!" cried Kaoru. But it was too late. She watched with horror as the brave rurouni was sucked up into the orb floating in the sky.

"KENSHIN!!!!"

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Author's Note: I always thought it would be cool to have RK meet Star Trek. Phaser on stun, reverse-bladed sword on blunt edge…see the similarity? ^_^;


	2. Hitokiri In Space

Chapter Two: Hitokiri In Space

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"Captain, the chronometric emissions are starting to leak through our shields into our spaceframe!" cried Yusuke. "It looks like some kind of portal is forming on board our ship!"

The captain scowled. "Where?"

Yusuke punched a few buttons on his console. "Somewhere on Deck 4, possibly the crew quarters…I can't lock it down, sir!"

"Red alert! Full power to structural integrity fields!"

The ship lurched heavily all of a sudden. The anomaly grew even brighter, completely whiting out the viewscreen. Then, as quickly as it happened, all was well again. The shine was gone, replaced by the serene view of space.

Yusuke sweatdropped as he stared at his console. "Captain…it's gone. The anomaly just…went!"

"Confirmed, sir," said the operations officer. "No sign of chronometric activity."

The captain rubbed his chin. "Damage report?"

"…No damage reported, sir," sad Yusuke.

"Very well then. Stand down from red alert. Commander Himura, I want you to take a security team down to Deck 4. If some kind of portal opened up down there, I want to know if anything came through."

"Aye, sir." Yusuke headed to the turbolift.

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"WHOA…OOF!"

Kenshin landed with a hard THUMP on the ground.

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"Oh…that was most unpleasant, that it was…oro?" Standing back up, Kenshin noticed something extremely wrong. Instead of rock, dirt, or grass, he was standing on carpet, and instead of an open sky, walls and a ceiling surrounded him…

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"Oro, where am I?" He blinked a couple of times. No, it was not an illusion; he really was standing inside a strange corridor, complete with lights and black paneling along the walls. Kenshin's hand dropped to the grip of his sakabatou. He would not allow himself to be caught off guard. _"I must find out where I am, that I must."_ He slowly advanced through the hallway.

Kenshin hadn't gone more than a few steps before he came upon what looked like a door. Perhaps someone was inside…and if so, maybe he could ask them where he was! He stepped up to the door, intending to knock and ask to be let in…only to have the door suddenly open all by itself as soon as he approached.

"GAH!" Kenshin actually jumped when the door opened, an action he was quite glad none of his friends were around to see. How embarrassing! Getting it back together, he stepped back up to the doorway.

"Um…hello? Is anyone there? I'm looking for-HUH?!" Kenshin's "sixth sense" suddenly kicked in-someone was approaching him! He pulled his blade a tiny bit out of its sheath.

"Hey! Who are you?!"

Kenshin, ready to draw his sakabatou on an instant's notice, slowly turned around.

"What in the hell…what are you doing, acting in a period play?" Kenshin didn't understand a word the man was saying, but he recognized the language instantly.

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"He's speaking English…that is very strange, that it is. Oro…why is he wearing such a funny outfit?" The rurouni looked the man up and down. His outfit seemed to be one single piece, rather than the separate shirt and pants that most English-speaking people wore. It was mostly black and gray in color, except for a yellow collar on his neck. On that collar was what appeared to be a single circular gold bead. Also, he had a strange emblem on the left side of his chest.

The man stepped forward. "What's wrong, can't you speak?"

Kenshin tensed. The man didn't look armed, but he was fairly burly compared to Kenshin and could probably throw a punch or two. Kenshin was not going to take chances. However, it was about to get even more complex…

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Yusuke led his security team down the corridor.

"Phasers on light stun, boys. Take no chances." The team complied, and continued down the corridor. Eventually, they arrived near a junction, and found the last thing they had been expecting. Ensign Stiller was standing outside his quarters…and standing just by the doorway was a short man in a pink kimono, his hand gripping what looked like the handle of a Japanese sword. Immediately, everybody leveled their phasers.

Seeming to sense this, the man turned around…and looked right at Yusuke. And then…

"Oro?!"

"You've gotta be kidding me…!"

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Kenshin couldn't believe his eyes. This person looked almost exactly like he did! Same flaming red hair, and the same amethyst eyes! He had his hair cut much shorter, he was quite a bit taller and more built than Kenshin was, and of course he lacked the cross-shaped scar Kenshin sported on his left cheek, but the resemblance was uncanny!

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"Holy shit!" thought Yusuke. _"He looks like me! That scar on his cheek…nah, couldn't be. Who IS this guy?!"_

The man suddenly spoke. To most of the people present, it was unintelligible, but Yusuke understood it perfectly:

"Is there anyone among you who speaks Japanese?"

Yusuke nodded. "Hai."

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"Oro…he speaks Japanese. This could be very interesting, that it could be."

Kenshin did not take his hand off his weapon, but straightened up. "Where is this? Where am I?"

"You are aboard the U.S.S. _Thunderchild_."

Kenshin's eyes widened. "U.S.S?" He then frowned. "This is an American ship then, that it must be."

"American? No, no. This is a ship of the United Federation of Planets."

"Oro?! United Federation of…there's no such country sessha knows about! Have-have I been kidnapped?"

The man cocked an eyebrow. "No, of course not! Look…what is your name?"

"…Himura. Kenshin Himura."

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"…WHAT?! Did he really say he was Kenshin Himura?!" Yusuke's eyes grew huge. He had to clear his throat before speaking again.

"Well…uh. Kenshin…you'll have to come with us."

The man calling himself Kenshin tightened his grip on his blade. "No. I do not trust you, that I do not. For all I know, you could simply shoot me in the back with those strange guns you hold."

Yusuke sighed. "Boys," he said in English, "put away your phasers."

"But sir-" began one of the security officers.

"That's an order, mister. Everybody put your phasers away now." Reluctantly, they all complied.

"There now," said Yusuke in Japanese again. "We will not shoot you; you have my word as a Starfleet officer."

Kenshin pursed his lips, and then slowly released his grip on his blade. "I advise you not to try anything."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "I swear it." He tapped his combadge, getting an odd look from Kenshin. "Sickbay, this is…the chief of security." He didn't want to reveal his surname JUST yet. "Do you have a moment for a favor, Doctor Simpson?"

A chipper female voice emanated from the tiny device, startling their…guest. "Sure! What is it?"

"Can you prepare a quick DNA scan for me?"

"Uh…yes, I think so. See you then, Commander Himura! Simpson out!"

Yusuke sweatdropped. "Oh…no!"

Kenshin matched Yusuke's sweatdrop and facial expression. "Did…did I just hear her say 'Himura'?!"

Yusuke laughed idiotically. "Ah…no, of course not! It's something completely different! Now, um, if you'll please just follow us…!"

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Sickbay, Deck 8

"Oro…where is this?"

Yusuke smiled. "Our sickbay. Our crew can get medical attention here, but that's not what I brought us here for."

Kenshin cocked an eyebrow. "Then what?"

"I'll tell you what's going on afterwards. I, uh…I want to confirm something."

"Oh. By the way, you have not told sessha your name."

Yusuke bit his lip. "…It's Yusuke."

Suddenly, a bright-eyed young woman walked in. "Hello, Commander! Oh…and who is this?"

"Uh…someone we quite literally picked up, apparently. He only speaks an old form of Japanese…anyway, I would appreciate it if you could scan our blood into the computer and take a quick DNA check."

The doctor looked at Kenshin one more time before nodding. "Right this way."

They both sat on two spare tables. As the doctor brought up a tricorder, Kenshin's hand immediately dropped to the hilt of his sakabatou.

"Kenshin, wait!" cried Yusuke. "That's not a weapon, it's a medical instrument!"

"I've never seen a medical instrument like THAT, that I have not!" Kenshin narrowed his eyes, thoroughly intimidating the poor doctor.

"I assure you, it is harmless. I will prove it to you." He motioned for the doctor to scan his blood first. It only took a few seconds. "See?"

Kenshin sighed. "Very well. Please tell her that sessha apologizes for frightening her."

Doctor Simpson raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

"He's sorry he scared you."

"Oh. Well, he should be." She scanned Kenshin's blood in next. "All right, I've got both full readings. It'll be a minute." She went off into the next room.

Kenshin scooted off the table. "Yusuke."

"Hmm?"

Kenshin turned to him. "I want to know, what are we doing here? Why did you have that woman wave that small object over our bodies?"

Yusuke sighed. "I had hoped to tell you AFTER this was done, Kenshin. I was lying before. My surname…is also Himura."

Kenshin's eyes widened again. "Really? I've never met another Himura family before, that I have not…"

"Actually, Kenshin…I think it's a bit more complex than that. Let me guess…you believe it is the Meiji era, right?"

Kenshin frowned. "Well, yes…"

"I'm sorry, but you're wrong. The Meiji period was over around 500 years ago."

Kenshin fell over. "ORO?! Five hundred years!!!?? Are you serious!?"

Yusuke set his expression in steel, much the same as Kenshin had earlier. "Yes. I had the doctor run those tests…because my ancestor during that time bore the name of Kenshin Himura…and before that, he was known as Hitokiri Battousai. If that test comes up like I think it will…we are related by blood."

Kenshin facefaulted. "Oro…oro…it…cannot be, that it can not…!" He looked at the ground. "I…"

Yusuke got up off the table and walked over to Kenshin. "Look, I don't doubt this is hard to bear. It's not the first incident of forward time travel known to us, either."

Kenshin looked up at Yusuke, his expression matching the one on the taller man's face. All they did was look at each other for a few seconds, until…

"Okay, boys! I've got the results!" Both men fell over instantly.

"Oro…that was certainly inappropriate, that it was."

"You get used to it with her." Yusuke sighed. "What's the verdict?" he said, switching back to English.

"Congratulations, Yusuke. He's a relative of yours, all right. Also, the molecular structure of his clothing and weapon conforms to late 1800s-era materials. Speaking of which, I'd really like it if he didn't have that…"

Kenshin sighed. "She says that we are truly related, doesn't she?"

"Yep. Don't know what else to tell you, Kenshin."

Kenshin took a deep breath. "It is good to know I have some family left, that it is, but still…Kaoru…Sano…Yahiko…"

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Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rough in places. As for Sano against a Klingon…eh, maybe I'll bring our ex-fighter-for-hire into this again later. Not just yet, though. I'll try to make the next chapter a little smoother in flow, I promise.


	3. Room and Board

Chapter Three: Room and Board

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"…Okay, let's try it. Kenshin, can you understand me?"

"…Yes, I can. But it still sounds like you're speaking Japanese, that it does."

Yusuke smiled. In order to permit Kenshin to speak with the rest of the crew, he had been given a combadge with a universal translator set for Japanese.

"That's how the translator works; it's a two-way system. We'll now hear English when you speak, and you'll hear Japanese when we do."

Kenshin lifted his eyebrows. "Oro…it will take me some time to get used to this strange technology, that it will. Oh, by the way…how did your meeting with the Captain go?"

Yusuke sweatdropped. "Uh…well, uh…let's just say I got off with only a slap on the wrist…"

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Yusuke had been called into the ready room shortly after the DNA test. It was a protocol breach, albeit a minor one, to not immediately report findings after a strange event to the Captain.

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"Commander, I really thought you knew better than that. What were you thinking?"

"I, uh…sir, permission to speak frankly?"

"Granted."

"Sir, this man is an important figure in my family's history. I just…had to know for sure."

Jackson sighed. _"That's still no excuse to break protocol, Himura."_

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"…Yes, sir. I understand, sir."

"All right. Commander, since you were so eager to find out about this man, I am putting you in charge of his acclimation. Furthermore, if he does something damaging to anyone or anything on my ship, YOU will be held responsible for it. Is that clear, mister?"

Yusuke sweatdropped massively. _"GAH…but, sir…!"_

"Commander…?"

"Ah…crystal clear, sir."

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"I am sorry, Yusuke."

Kenshin's words snapped Yusuke out of his thoughts. "Hmm?"

"I feel that I am responsible for getting you in trouble with your superior, that I do. I am very sorry."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow, and then chuckled. "Don't be. The only one responsible for one's actions is oneself. It was my fault and mine alone. Anyway, let's continue. Are you hungry?"

Kenshin rubbed his stomach. "It HAS been a while since I have eaten, that it has. Where does one take meals aboard this ship?"

"There's a lounge where you can get some food and drinks on Deck 10, but day-to-day meals are taken in one's own quarters."

Kenshin looked around. "Oro? But…I do not see any kitchens."

Yusuke laughed. "Right over here." He led Kenshin over to a strange recess in one of the walls, with what looked like colored lights over it. "This is a food replicator. You just touch this button here," said Yusuke as he touched the button in question, "and tell the computer what you want."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Um…might I have some onigiri, please?"

It wasn't even a second before the replicator performed its task and formed a plate of onigiri. Kenshin immediately went wide-eyed.

"Oro…it made food appear out of thin air, that it did!"

"Not quite. It's a technology we came up with that allows us to transform raw material into almost any foodstuff we might want. There's a similar system that replicates non-food items, too."

Kenshin took the plate out of the receptacle. "Oro…"

"Relax, barring a malfunction, everything that comes out of the replicator is totally edible. Some people say that replicated food doesn't taste as good as the 'real deal', but I've never noticed a difference."

Kenshin set the plate down on the nearby table. Luckily for Kenshin, they had arranged for old Japanese-style furnishings in the room. "Well, there's no way to know expect to try it." He took a bite of the food. Immediately, his eyes widened. "Oro…this is the best onigiri I've had, that it is!"

Yusuke smiled. "Great! It's been a while since our replicators have worked perfectly!"

Kenshin fell over. "Oro!?"

"Just kidding, just kidding!"

"Huh?" Kenshin tensed suddenly. "Someone's coming."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" At that moment, the door chime sounded, startling both men. "Huh. Good call, Kenshin."

"Who's there?" called Kenshin.

"It's M'aran. Can I come in or what?"

Yusuke sighed. "It's okay, it's just my friend."

"Oh. Okay, come in." The door opened, and the Andorian walked in…immediately causing Kenshin to sweatdrop.

"Oro…he's got two antennae on his head…!"

M'aran scowled. "Hey, at least I don't have a giant 'X' on my cheek, shorty!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" cried Yusuke. "I don't need to break up a fight right now, okay?"

"It's not necessary, that it is not. I apologize, er…"

"M'aran."

Yusuke smiled. "That's more like it. What did you want, M'aran?"

"Is it really true, Yusuke? Is this really the same Kenshin Himura you told me about?"

"In the flesh. I can hardly believe it myself."

M'aran chuckled, then turned serious. "That's not all I wanted to talk to you about. You didn't forget the…y'know, did you?"

"Oh, don't worry. I've got it."

"Got what?" said Kenshin suddenly. Yusuke fell over.

"Ah…nothing, it's nothing! Uh…enjoy your meal; I've got to start my next duty shift."

"Oh. Well, see you until then, Yusuke." Kenshin bowed to Yusuke, which the officer returned. Yusuke and M'aran then left the room.

As they walked down the hall, M'aran turned to Yusuke.

"You'd better not lose that thing, Yusuke. Don't you even think of it!"

Yusuke laughed. "Since when have you known me to lose anything? Like I said before, quit worrying!"

"I know, I know, I just don't want you to look bad at the party." The Andorian sighed. "Well, I'm going back to Engineering. See you around, Yusuke."

"Right."

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Back in Kenshin's quarters, the rurouni stared out the window. The vast expanse of space was the only thing that he could see.

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"Oro…a ship that sails the stars and not the seas…" He sighed. _"It is very humbling, that it is. To think, we were merely a speck in this great expanse all this time, and merely one of who knows how many planets with forms of life not unlike ourselves. Very humbling, indeed…"_

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Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. Schoolwork has this funny effect of lessening the free time one has, you see. _

USS-Kenji: Please don't take this the wrong way, but there are plenty of times where TNG characters have used…colorful language. And I'm not just talking about Data's emotion chip problems in Generations, either. ^_~


End file.
